Page 17 of Nanny for the Athletes

I threw up my hands in frustration. “You’re the one who broke up with me! And I didn’t want you to spend that much money on tickets. I can pull up the text message where I said I would be happy sitting in the nosebleeds.”

Trip rolled his eyes and took a step toward me. “This is just like you. Taking advantage of me, and then turning around and pretending like it’smyfault.”

I took a step backwards. “Trip…”

“That’s called gaslighting, Elizabeth.” He continued walking forward while I backed away. “You’re gaslighting me. But that only works on weak men. I’m not going to allow you to do it. So here I am, asking for what’s mine. And I’m asking politely. I could take you to small claims court, but I’m trying to do this the easy way. For your benefit. But it’s never been easy with you, has it?”

The dogs were gathered around me now, curious about the new visitor. “Trip, I think you should leave.”

His voice began rising. “You’ve always been difficult, even when we first started dating. You don’t like any of the same things I do. You never eventried. Because you’re a selfish person. All you care about isyourlife andyourfuture. You even bailed on the logistics convention, forcing me to go alone.”

“I didn’t bail on you, Trip! Mygrandma died,” I shot back at him.

“See, that’s the thing about you,” he said, practically spitting every word. “There’s always an excuse. Well, I’m not taking it. I’m not letting women like you abuse me anymore. Do youhearme, Elizabeth?”

Tears were welling in my eyes, which frustrated me even more. I shouldn’t have allowed his words to get to me, but they still felt like a dozen knife wounds, each deeper than the last.

“Do you?” Trip demanded. “Answer me!”

“What’s the problem?” Logan growled behind me.

Trip glanced over, then did a double-take. “Holy shit. You’re Logan Landry! Dude, I’ve got your jersey in my closet.”

Logan’s four dogs came trotting over. As soon as Loki got within a foot of him, Trip cursed and raised his foot like he was going to kick the dog.

“Loki!” Logan snapped, and the dog hurried back to hide behind his owner.

Trip shook his head and pointed. “You know, you ought to be more careful with what dogs you allow to be boarded here. That’s your problem, Elizabeth: you don’t think ahead. You act with your heart rather than beinglogical…”

Without warning, Logan grabbed Trip by the collar of his shirt and threw him back against the fence. “Leave,now,” Logan snarled.

“What?” Trip asked. All sense of confidence had left his voice.

“You heard me,” Logan bit off. He reminded me of a Pit Bull that was an inch away from attacking. “If you make me repeat myself, you’ll fucking regret it.”

He shoved hard, sending Trip tumbling backward over the fence. He landed in the dirt next to the driveway, sending up a cloud of dust.

“What the fuck, man?” Trip said in a shaky voice. “I’m, like, your biggest fan.”

“I’ll be your biggest regret if you’re still in my sight in five seconds,” Logan said. “One…”

He didn’t need to count to two. Trip practically fell over himself scrambling to his truck. The engine roared, and then Trip rolled down the window. “I’ve never seen a celebrity act like such an asshole to their fans.”

Rage flared in Logan’s eyes. “I don’t remember asking you agoddamn thing.” He opened the gate.

That simple motion terrified Trip. His truck tires spun in the gravel as he flew down my driveway and onto the main road.

Logan shook his head and turned back to me. “The fuck kind of a name is Trip?”

“He’s the third,” I explained, wiping away a tear. I wasn’t going to let myself cry. “Jonathan Sutton III. Trip is short fortriple. It’s a pun, or something.”

Logan grunted a reply, and bent down toward his dogs. “If you see that cunt again, you have my permission to bite him,” he told them. “But only him, and just this once.”

I laughed at howattentivethe dogs seemed, as if they could actually understand what Logan was explaining to them. “Thanks for, um, defending me.”

Logan’s eyes softened for a brief moment as he regarded me. Then they turned to steel again. Or something colder, like iron. “Didn’t do it for you. That asshole almost kicked my dog.”

“Let’s, uh, go look at your forms to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”

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